1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing member to be used in an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus and a method of manufacturing the member. The present invention also relates to a fixing device and an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a heat fixing device to be used in an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine or a laser printer, rotating members such as a pair of rollers, a film and a roller, a belt and a roller, or a belt and a belt, at least one of which has been heated, are brought into press contact with each other.
Then, a recording material (such as paper) holding an image formed with toner in an unfixed state is introduced into a press contact site (fixing nip) formed between the rotating members. At this time, the heated rotating member heats the recording material to melt the toner. Thus, the image is fixed to the recording material.
The rotating member with which the toner image in an unfixed state held on the recording material comes into contact is referred to as “fixing member,” and the fixing member is called a fixing roller, a fixing film, a fixing belt, or the like depending on its form.
In association with the fact that an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus has become able to develop a color and to provide improved image quality, in the fixing nip portion, toners of many colors need to be enclosed, and then melted and mixed. Accordingly, there has been used a fixing member having a construction obtained by laminating a base member, an elastic layer containing a silicone rubber or the like formed on the base member, and a release layer excellent in releasability containing a fluorine resin or the like in the stated order.
Incidentally, the fixing member having such construction has heretofore been required to have a high thermal conductivity. To meet such requirement, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-268423 discloses a fixing belt including a substrate formed of a metal or a resin, an elastic layer formed on the base member, and a release layer formed on the elastic layer, the fixing member being obtained by incorporating carbon fibers into the elastic layer. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-92008 discloses a fixing belt including a tubular base member, an elastic layer formed on the outer peripheral side of the base member, and a surface layer formed on the outer peripheral side of the elastic layer, the fixing belt being obtained by incorporating predetermined amounts of a filling agent and a carbon nanotube into the elastic layer.
The present invention is directed to providing a fixing member having the following characteristics and a method of manufacturing the member. An elastic layer containing a carbon nanotube and containing a cured silicone rubber having sufficient elasticity is formed on a base member, and the base member and the elastic layer have sufficient adhesiveness.
The present invention is also directed to providing a fixing device and an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus conducive to stable formation of high-quality electrophotographic images.